in April I will exhibit my On18 APA layout at the Australian Narrow Gauge Convention at Bowral.The APA layout is self contained ... a loop and sidings within the box confines.

Does anyone have any ideas at what height the APA (with top on and one side open) might best be displayed?

Having established a height, how might you build a stable stand. I am 6ft tall, and I imagine a height for adult viewing of 5-5ft high.As I am taking other microlayouts the stand must be portable and not take up too much room in my station wagon.

Another layout I may take could be my 19 inch by 15 inch Gnatterbox challenge entry.It too will need displaying at a reasonable height.

regards Geoff

"I would not join any club that would have someone like me for a member." -- Groucho Marx

I tend to prefer to have my layouts at standard table/desk height. This means small children can still see easily, and adults can always bend down to look. More difficult with a top on, as there is no downward view. The original Gn15 APA modules I built, had a sloping top so I could access from back easier. There did not seem to be a problem at exhibitions. Stability is something I am worried about at exhibitions, and many of the higher displayed layouts do look a bit unstable. Trouble is you are never going to please everyone, some like layouts high some like them low. I also like to be able to sit behind layout if possible, but have noticed some operators have high bar stools to sit on.

at my last exhibition I felt guilty because main layout was a few inches higher supported on an old army stretcher. I noticed quite a few of the smaller children stretching to get a better view. I do wonder if we are being too simplistic in the way we exhibit our layouts to children. We assume they want to be involved, when many are quite happy to watch and count how many wagons there are in a train. Some want to ask questions, but need encouragement, and it is not just going to be silly pointless questions. I am exhibiting some of my mashed paper 3D artwork, and yesterday helped with a visit from local Brownie(Girl guide) group. They were encouraged to ask questions, and many of them were no older than my original art work and models using mashed paper, which Michael originally suggested back in 2006/7. In a lot of ways they behaved a lot better than some older children, but then they were in a properly organised group.Thing is, I think, that if you exhibit something that interests younger visitors then they will be interested. It is as much those with the children, parents or group leaders who will help to encourage them, but they might also be directing them towards what they think the children are interested in. On that point, I think some exhibition managers might be stereotyping children. Having a 'Thomas' layout isn't very imaginative, even the 'hands on' layout might not appeal to some. One comment I keep getting about my layouts is that they are eye catching and different. I always try to having a train moving, but also am happy to talk to visitors. It would be interesting to observe a larger group of children at an exhibition, because I think it would be different to the more usual parents and children. Another advantage of have organised groups is that it would introduce possibilities of after show activities organised by these groups, in a similar way to school children being encouraged to write, draw, paint or just be creative to show what they got out of a school trip.

My current layout uses a keyboard stand (intended for music keyboards), height is adjustable between 24 and 36 inches which is a good height for me looking over from the back and for children looking from the front while not being too low for adults. It also folds flat which is good for transport and storage.

My experience with children at exhibitions (and having one of my own) is that they are generally happy to watch as long as their attention is captured.

Hi folks,in April at the Australian Narrow Gauge Convention it was an all-adult audience. The APA layout was placed on a virgin APA box sans model railway to show people what the boxes look like, and to give a reasonable viewing height when placed on a standard plastic folding table.

Another On18 pizza layout has a simple stand made of plastic pipe and plywood to give a good viewing height when placed on a table.

Most problematic is my On30 Hoyt-Clagwell tractor factory layout. It is in a box with a fascia that limits viewing angles. You need to look straight into the layout to get the full effect. Higher is better for adults. I have a stand built of aluminium with a wooden top for this. In future I will make a fascia which allows me to stand the layout on the table on a box. The fascia will hide the box behind it. The following images on the Green Acres site were taken by myself. They show a set-up when I first exhibited the On30 layout. It was way too low in this instance!

I will take photos of the APA layout when I get a chance (and a better camera!)regardsGeoff Potter

"I would not join any club that would have someone like me for a member." -- Groucho Marx